Kathodon

How good it is to settle into a restaurant full of happy people enjoying themselves! The Kathodon is just a stone’s throw from the border with the part of Cyprus that has now been under Turkish occupation for over four decades, and the pictures and slogans that decorate its walls, such as the famous Δεν ξεχνω, together with allusions to the more distant symbol of Constantinople, remind visitors that feelings among some people in Cyprus remain high. But it’s easy to settle back here and imagine that Ένωσις has taken place. The Greek salad is mainly made up of tomatoes, with strips of onion, red and green capsicum, and cucumber, but no lettuce; just as it should be, it is fresh and tasty. A dish of green beans cooked in olive oil, familiar in Greece and points further to the east, comes fortified with potatoes and carrots, which turn it into a very substantial plate of hearty comfort food that cries out to be mopped up with bread. A spicy dish of lentils and rice is less oily but filling and satisfying. There are various kinds of drinks which the menu itemizes in a playful manner, and just when you think you’ve had enough, glasses of complimentary ouzo arrive. Like all the best Greek food, that served at the Kathodon has not moved far from domestic origins that are tasty and wholesome, and as is the case with all the best Greek restaurants there’s a sense of fun and hospitality. We enjoyed ourselves very much.